Geography

Honduras, in the north-central part of Central
America, has a Caribbean as well as a Pacific coastline. Guatemala is to
the west, El Salvador to the south, and Nicaragua to the east. The
second-largest country in Central America, Honduras is slightly larger
than Tennessee. Generally mountainous, the country is marked by fertile
plateaus, river valleys, and narrow coastal plains.

Government

Democratic constitutional republic.

History

During the first millennium, Honduras was
inhabited by the Maya. Columbus explored the country in 1502. Honduras,
with four other Central American nations, declared its independence from
Spain in 1821 to form a federation of Central American states. In 1838,
Honduras left the federation and became independent. Political unrest
rocked Honduras in the early 1900s, resulting in an occupation by U.S.
Marines. Dictator Gen. Tiburcio Carias Andino established a strong
government in 1932.

In 1969, El Salvador invaded Honduras after
Honduran landowners deported several thousand Salvadorans. Five thousand
people ultimately died in what is called “the football war” because it
broke out during a soccer game between the two countries. By threatening
economic sanctions and military intervention, the Organization of American
States (OAS) induced El Salvador to withdraw.